Is Behavioural Euthanasia an option worth considering?
Behavioural euthanasia is not something anyone wants to consider and is a topic that we often avoid. It’s tough to talk about painful topics.
But the difficult reality is some behavioural challenges are not going to be resolved with training alone and require significant ongoing management to keep everyone safe. Sometimes rehoming is not a safe or fair outcome, when considering that we can’t control what happens once the dog leaves our care, as well as the number of lovely, easy dogs needing homes. And the risk of management failure can sometimes have severe, long lasting consequences.
If you’re in a situation where you are considering this option, here are some things you may find helpful to consider.
It’s not just about the dogs either. The humans wellbeing matters too. Living with high risk behaviourally challenging dogs is HARD. It requires a lot of careful management, and the understanding that even the best management will likely fail at some stage. It can be hard to understand if you haven’t been in this situation.
There is also the issue of quality of life for the dog. There are many fates worse than having one last great day, then going to sleep surrounded by the ones you love. Dogs have no concept of tomorrow.
Sending love to anyone who is in the painful position of considering this option. As a dog community, we don’t talk about it enough and it can be very isolating. ❤️
Have we put time and consistent effort into training, considering more than one approach or trainer to resolving the issue?
Does this behaviour pose a risk to people or other animals?
What is the likely severity or damage to people or animals should management fail?
What management can we have in place to keep everyone safe, and how reliable is this likely to be?
Are there any veterinary interventions that may be helpful to address pain/health factors?
Can we provide the quality of life this dog needs while keeping everyone safe?
What is our quality of life going to look like while managing this issue? Because owners quality of life is also important.
